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Norway's maritime investment group Eitzen is moving forward on its plan to build two electric container vessels, which it says will modernize short sea shipping and accelerate the transition to battery-powered vessels. At a ceremony in Oslo on June 12, the company confirmed it was placing an order for the construction of the two vessels to be built in China.
The order was placed with the Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 24 months, and the second one in 27 months. Eitzen reports it is consolidating its focus on maritime electrification with one of the companies in its group, Zen, taking the lead.
The ships, which will be among the largest electric container vessels ever put into commercial operation, will be used to establish an electric freight corridor. Zen plans to operate the vessels in the North Sea region, connecting the ports of Northern Europe. The route will connect Hamburg, Gothenburg, and Oslo. Each of the vessels will have a capacity of 900 TEU, establishing a new green shipping corridor for Northern Europe.
The ships will be powered by an electric propulsion system, with one of the companies in the Eitzen Group developing the batteries. The announcement said the battery packs will have over 100 MWh and provide a range of between 500 and 600 nautical miles. The batteries, which will be built at a plant in Tønsberg, Norway, are said to have twice the energy density per volume as comparable solutions. They are waterproof and can withstand permanent immersion in water.
"Electrification is no longer a concept of the future," said Fridtjof C. Eitzen, co-founder & CEO of Zen. "It is becoming commercially viable today on selected trade routes. Zen is established to lead this transition and to build the infrastructure required to scale electric shipping."
The project was one of seven electric vessels that received a grant from Norway's Enova in June 2025. The government fund developed to advance zero-carbon transport solutions awarded NOK 200 million (approximately $21 million) for the development of the electric container vessels.
Enova also awarded NOK 20.6 million (approximately $2.2 million) to the Port of Oslo to develop shore charging capabilities at Yilport Oslo. It will be a high-voltage shore power station for battery-powered ships. Port Oslo states the charging facility for the containerships will have a voltage level of 6.6 kV and a capacity of 7.5 MVA.
Fuente: MARITIME_EXECUTIVE
